SWEETENER: If the merger falls through, the new company would have an estimated net income of US$26 billion and a market value of US$379 billion
BHP Billiton Ltd, the world's largest mining company, may need to offer a 60 percent premium to buy Rio Tinto Group, Perennial Investment Partners Ltd said.

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AGREEMENT: Despite the fact that strikes and trade unions are illegal, thousands of workers had stopped working to protest 'less than human' work conditions
Migrant workers building the world's tallest building in Dubai have agreed to return to work, their employers, construction giant Arabtec, said on Saturday.

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Previous troubles in the US economy have caused Asia to skid badly -- but analysts think the region has matured enough to get through any bleak days ahead for the US.

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Hawaii's Kona coffee industry is looking to attract more Japanese consumers by offering special tours.

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The Bank of Korea will urge domestic shipbuilders to settle contracts in won and to spread hedging activities over time to curb the currency's gains against the US dollar.

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